04
March
2016
|
20:08
Europe/Amsterdam

Pre-season test two: Barcelona, Spain, March 1-4, 2016

“During the final test the teams began to concentrate more on performance and race preparations, with a number of qualifying and race simulations taking place over the four days. The fastest time was again set by the new ultrasoft, which is not ideally suited to the high-energy demands of Barcelona, but nonetheless gave most drivers a taste of the extra performance on offer this year.  Of course this is still only testing, held in relatively cool conditions, so the teams will continue to make developments right up to and beyond the first race, which will obviously influence each car’s interaction with the tyres. From our point of view we are satisfied that the performance is within the parameters that we set, both in terms of speed and durability, although the construction as well as four of the compounds – with the exception of the ultrasoft, of course – are the same as last year. With testing over, we now embark on a season that features the biggest shake-up of the tyre regulations in recent F1 history.” Paul Hembery, Pirelli motorsport director